F 74 

■U4 U45 
Copy 1 




I 



To^vn of WenKam 
MassacK\isetts 



I 




I 



Public Exercises 

In Connection "WitK 

THe Dedication 

Of TKe 

Peters' Hill Memorial 

At Wenham Lahe 

October 25, 1908 

TogetKer "WitH TKe 

Report of the Memorial Committee 
A.nd an A.ppendix 

Containing 

Items of Historical Interest 



I 



Town ()1 W'kmiam 
m \ss.\c 111 sktts. 



Willi llli; CoMI'I.IMKN "IS OK THIC 

Petkks' Hii.i. Mkmokiai. Committki-: 



\H^^Vo^^., N\fcsr T«.Ux«s^ \VA\ 



\AA.e VVV. V 



'\0-l C^vw-wnvVve' 



Uown of Wenhamy 

^^A^Lassachusetts 
Oundai^ ^^fternoon, October 2S, 7908 




HUGH PETERS 
Born 1599 Died 1660 

ijrcler of (bzerclses 

fJn connection lolt/i the LLnveiling 
. . of the 

^/rCe/norla/ KJaolet 

^nectefl 6y the ^Joujn nean the ^ite of " Meters >^ill 

Un Qommemopution of the 

3'irst breaching of the Gospet in JVenham, fjy the 

Reverend J^ugh ^^eters, Q*astor of the (Church in 

Satem. 7636-76^/ 



. vv • 



PFF. 17 1909 

D> ui 0« I 



Order of Service 

jIt menham Cake 2 o'clock 



Rymn America 

My country ! 'tis of 'thee, 
Sweet land of liberty, 

Of thee I sing ; 
Land where my fathers died ! 
Land of the pilgrims' pride ! 
From every mountain side 

Let freedom ring ! 
My native country, thee, 
Land of the noble free, 

Thy name I love ; 
I love thy rocks and rills, 
Thy woods and templed hills : 
My heart with rapture thrills 

Like that above. 
Let music swell the breeze, 
And ring from all the trees 

Sweet freedom's song : 
Let mortal tongues awake ; 
Let all that breathe partake ; 
Let rocks their silence break, - 

The sound prolong. 
Our fathers' God ! to Thee, 
Author of liberty. 

To Thee we sing : 
Long may our land be bright 
With freedom's holy light ; 
Protect us by Thy might. 
Great God, our King! 
Invocation R^^' ^^ner D. Gorham 



Responsive Reading Rev. Edwin A. Blake, Ph. D. 

Minister. "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good: for 

His mercy endureth forever. 
People. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath re- 
deemed from the hand of the enemy ; 
Minister. And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, 

and from the west, from the north, and from the south. 
People. They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way ; they 

found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul 

fainted in them. 
Minister. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and 

He delivered them out of their distresses. 
People. And He led tliem forth by a right way, that ihey might 

go to a city of habitation. 
Minister. O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, 

and for His wonderful works to the children of men ! 
People. For He satistieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry 

soul with goodness. 
Minister. He turneth the wilderness into a standing waiter, and 

dry ground into watersprings. 
People. And there He maketh the hungry to dwell, that they 

may prepare a city for habitation ; 
Minister. And sow the fields, and plant vineyards, which may 

yield fruits of increase. 
People. He blesseth them also, so that they are* multiplied great- 
ly ; and suffereth not their cattle to decrease. 
Minister. Again, they are diminished and bi-ought low through 

oppression, affliction, and sorrow. 
People He poureth contempt upon princes, and causeth tliem to 

wander in the wilderness, where there is no way. 
Minister. Yet setteth- He the poor on high from affliction, and 

maketh him families like a flock. 
People. The righteous shall see it, and rejoice : and all init|uitv 

shall stop his mouth. 
Minister. Whoso is wise, and will obser^•e these things, even 

they shall understand the io\ing-kiiulness of the Lord. 
People. Praise ye the Lord." 

Report of Committee on Memorial 
dnveiling of the Cablet 



Jit the Congregational CDurcb uo o'clock 

Organ prelude 

F>ymn tune heber 

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds 

In a believer's ear ! 
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, 

And drives away his fear. 
It makes the wounded spirit whole. 

And calms the troubled breast ; 
'Tis manna to the hungry soul, 

And to the weary, rest. 
Jesus ! my Shepherd, Guardian, Friend, 

My Prophet, Priest, and King ! 
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End ! 

Accept the praise I bring. 
Weak is the effort of my heart, 

And cold m)' warmest thought : 
But when I see Thee as Thou art, 

I'll praise Thee as I ought. 
Till then I would Thy love proclaim 

With every fleeting breath : 
And may the music of Thy name 

Refresh my soul in death. 

Scripture Reading Rev. Peter H. Goldsmith, D. D. 

Pastor of the First Church in Salem 



prayer Rev. Frank Parker 

Rcspol 
F)ynin 



Response ''The Good Shepherd" Van de Water 

Miss Mary Ervin Qiiinby 



TUNE CAMBRIDGE 



O God, our help in ages past. 

Our hope for years to come. 
Our shelter from the stormy blast. 

And our eternal home. 
Under the shadow of Thy throne, 

Thy saints have dwelt secure ; 
Sufficient is Thine arm alone. 

And our defence is sure. 



Sermon 



Ooxology 



Before the hills in order stood, 

Or earth received her frame, 
From everlasting Thou art God, 

To endless years the same. 
A thousand ages in Thy sight 

Are like an evening gone ; 
Short as the watch that ends the night, 

Before the rising sun. 
Time, like an ever rolling stream, 

Bears all its sons away ; 
They fly, forgotten, as a dream 

Dies at the opening day. 
O God, our help in ages past, 

Our hope for years to come ! 
Be Thou our guard, while troubles last. 

And our eternal home. 

(Text: II. Timothy 4:2) 
Rev. Walter Samuel Eaton, Ph. D. 

Pastor of the Congregational Church in Wenham 

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ; 
Praise Him, all creatures here below ; 
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host ; 
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 



Benediction 
Organ postlude 



Rev. Abner D. Gorham 



Committee on Memorial 



Wellington Pool, Chairman 
Herbert W. Porter 
Benjamin H. Conant 



Arthur D. Prince, Secretary 
Nathaniel P. Perkins 
George E. Norris 




The Congregational Church, Wenham, Mass, 

The C()iigi"c_y;ati(>nal Church in Wenhaiii was orsjanized Oct. S, 
i6_|._|., with Rev. John Fisk, \\h(. had removed from Salem to 
Wenham in 1641, as pastor. In 16^:; Mr. P'isk witli a portion of 
the cliurch went awa\-, and \,'ith people from other places settled 
at Chelmsford. Immediate steps were taken l)v the town e\cn 
hefore their departure, for the continuance of the church here. The 
second pastor, Rev. Antipas Xew man, began his work here in 
16=^7 though he was not formalh installed until 1663. The follow- 
ing is a complete list of pastors of the chinch to the present time. 



John Fisk, 
Antipas Newman. 
Joseph Gerrish, 
Robert Ward. 
John Warren, 
Joseph vSwain, 
Adoniram Judson, 
Rufus Anderson, 
John Smith, D. D., 1S17-1S19 
Ebenezer P. Sperry, 1S20-1S37 
Daniel Mansfield, 1837-1S47 
Jeremiah Taylor, D.D. 1847-1856 



1 644- 1 655 
1657-1672 
1 671-1720 
1721-1732 

1 733-1 749 
1 750-1 792 

1 792-1 799 

1S05-1S14 



John S. Sewall, D. D. 1859-1867 
Alexander C. Childs, 1867- 1868 
William R. Jovslin, 1868-1870 
Will C. W^ood, 1S70-1S76 

.Samuel W. Clarke, 1877- 1878 
John M. Hart, 1878-1879 

James H. Childs, 1SS0-1884 

John C. Mitchell, 1884-18S6 

George M. Woodwell, 1887-1890 
Arthur N. Ward, 1 891 -1898 

Morris H. Turk, Ph.D. 1898-1903 
Walters. Eaton. Ph.D. 1904- 



The following; account of the early meeting houses in Wenhani 
was prepared bv the memorial committee after a careful examination 
of the town records. 

The town records of W'enham indicate that there was a meet- 
ing-house liere as earl\ as 1642, though just when it was built or 
where it stood does not appear. It is generally supposed to have 
been situated somewhere within a quarter of a mile south of the 
present church building^. It appears to have been in use until 1663, 
wliLMi a new meeting-house twentv four feet square and twelve feet 
stud was built. As nearlv as can now be determined, this second 
house stood on or near the western end of the enclosure now known 
as the park. In 1688 a third meeting-house appears to have been 
l>uilt on the eastern end of the park, which stood until 1748, when 
it was taken down and a fourth house erected upon the same spot. 
This building- was used as a house of worship for ninetv-five vears, 
or until 1S43 when the fifth or present church edifice was erected, a 
few rods north of the old meeting-house. The old house was then 
sold to the Ice Company and removed to the lake, where it was 
used as an ice house until it was destroved in the great fire of 1873. 



A SERMON 

Delivered by 

Reverend Walter Samuel Eaton^ Ph* D.f 

Minister of the Wenham Congregational Church. 



PREACHERS AND PREACHING. 

'Treach the word'' 2 Timothy, 4:2. 

This is a short text but a difficult task to perform. Paul, who 
gave this command to Timothy, knew by experience how hard his 
young friend's work would be. The great Apostle to the Gentiles 
did not ask Timothy to do what he was not willing to do himself. 
At that time Paul understood better than Timothy what a great re- 
sponsibility he had placed upon him, and with what dangers he 
would be threatened if he w^ere true to his trust. Jesus did not call 
His apostles to a life of ease. On the contrary, He told them that 
they would be arrested and brought before governors and kings : 
that they would be scourged in the synagogues and hated of all 
men. 

Though the task of preaching the Gospel has always been a 
dangerous and a difficult one from the days of the Apostles to the 
present time, yet Jesus has never been left without witnesses. He 
has ever had a faithful and loyal company of followers who 
have had the martyr-spirit ; who feared nothing but cowardice ; 
who possessed heroic qualities ; and who took pleasure in dying 

9 



for the Gospel which they had been permitted to preach. When 
threatened with bodily harm, unjustly and falsely accused, im- 
prisoned and condemned to die, many of the Master's disciples, 
during the past nineteen hvmdred years, have been as unmoved and 
as fearless as was Paul, who, knowing that bonds and afflictions 
awaited him in Jerusalem where he was going, said:- "But none 
of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, 
so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which 
I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace 
of God." (Acts 20 : 34), 

It is a matter of interest that the first authentic record we have 
of this town is in connection with the preaching of the Gospel. 
At the very beginning of the life of this township the Word of God 
vv^as preached in it. 

It is a matter of congratulation, also, to the citizens of this place 
that the Reverend Hugh Peters preached the first sermon that was 
ever delivered within the bounds of Wenham. The place was on 
a little hill near our beautiful lake. The text was taken from the 
Gospel according to John, the third chapter and a part of the 
twenty-third verse,- "In Aenon near to Salim because there was 
much water there." The sermon, so far as I know, has not been 
preserved. What the preacher said on that occasion can only be 
imagined. But we need not hesitate to believe that the sermon 
was designed to do only good. The audience ! Was it large or 
small? Where did the people come from ? W^ho were in the 
congregation? Were they all saints? Did any attend that service 
out of mere curiosity to see and to hear a distinguished minister? 
History does not answer these questions, and many more of a like 
character which naturally suggest themselves to our minds. 

About two hundred and seventy years ago this historic sermon 
was preached. That was six years before the organization of this 
church ; twelve years after the founding of Salem ; eighteen years 
after the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth ; and twenty-four 
years after Captain John Smith coasted along the rocky shores of 
New England which he named and recommended to the wealthy 
and well-to-do people of Old England. The year that Hugh Peters 
preached in Wenham, Oliver Cromwell was devoting himself as- 
siduously to the pursuit of farming ; Charles the First, though very 
unpopular with many in his realm, was still on the throne ; John 

10 



Eliot was preaching to the Indians and translating for them portions 
of the Word of God ; Anne Hutchinson, a member of the First 
Church in Salem, and a remarkable woman, was holding meetings 
for women, criticising the doctrines that were preached by Dr. 
John Cotton, and paving the way for her banishment from the 
colony ; pirates were committing crimes on the sea everywhere ; 
and negroes were brought from Africa to Salem. Then the 
country was new ; the winters severe ; comforts scanty ; houses 
rude ; provisions often few ; work plenty ; and problems many. 
But the Pilgrim and Puritan fathers were possessed of qualities 
that were needed in grappling with great problems, in overcoming 
obstacles, and in laying the foundations for a great republic. 

No man in those times possessed such qualities in a greater 
degree than did the man who preached the first sermon that was 
ever heard within the limits of Wenham. He was no ordinary 
character. He was a rare spirit, a picked man, a choice soul. He 
was well-born. There was good blood in his veins. His ancestor 
w'as an officer in the army of William the Conqueror. His father 
was a well-to-do merchant, living at Foy in Cornwall where Hugh 
Peters was born in the year i=;99. 

In that prosperous home there were at one time three sons, 
William, Thomas and Hugh, and all of whom received a univer- 
sity education, and all became men of note. 

William, who was graduated at Leyden, Holland, became a 
prosperous merchant in New England. He purchased the whole 
site of the City of Boston but was not allowed by the new comers 
to hold his purchase. He died at Andover where he owned con- 
siderable propertv. 

Thomas, who was educated at Oxford, became the minister at 
Saybrook, Connecticut. 

Hugh, the youngest son of that illustrious family, was gradu- 
ated from Trinity College, Cambridge, and became a successful 
•preacher, a fearless patriot, and a wise philanthropist. 

According to the statement of Hugh Peters, it was the preach- 
ing of the Word that influenced him to become a Christian. How 
many the w^orld over could give a similar testimony ! How many 
have been helped heavenward, upward and Godward by the 
preaching of the Gospel ! The faithful preaching of the Word of 
God, is and always has been, a mighty power for good in the 

II 



world and as long as sin continues to exist in the hearts of men ; 
as long as there is injustice, enmity and oppression in society ; antl 
as long as there is war, unrighteousness and unholy living on earth ; 
so long will there be need of preachers and preaching. 

Hugh Peters had at least three pastorates,- St. Sepulchers, 
London ; Rotterdam, Holland, and Salem, Massachusetts. In 
these pastorates he was very successful. At St. Sepulchers his 
popularity occasioned envy and danger. Here he had an audience 
from six to seven thousand. And here "above an hundred every 
week were persuaded from sin to Christ." At Rotterdam, where 
he remained as a colleague with Dr. Ames for seven years, "the 
presence of God" was in his work. That Hugh Peters had great 
influence in Holland, and that he was held in high esteem in the 
country to which he was once banished by Archbishop Laud for 
non-conformity, is evidenced by the fact, that at one time, after his 
return to England from Salem, he collected from Holland 30,000 
pounds or $150,000 for the Protestant sufferers in Ireland. 

The first church in Salem where Hugh Peters preached for 
about five years greatly increased under his ministry. His ability 
as a preacher was recognized even by one of his most bitter enemies, 
William Young, M. D., who swore away his life. Dr. Young 
says, - "Mr. Peters was a popular preacher, admired hy all the 
classical preachers of New England, Holland and Germany. And 
the Huguenots of England were so bewitched with his doctrines, 
eloquence and fervent prayers, that they sighed at the loss of such 
a precious villian." Some fragments of his sermons and other 
writings which I have had the opportunity of reading bear the 
marks of an original thinker, a scholarly mind, a strong character 
and a fearless preacher. 

Let me quote two or three of his sentences. 

"How few pray ! How many say words ! Oh, how many say 
their prayers backwards. Call him Father, who is not their 
Father, would not have His name hallowed, nor His kingdom 
come." 

"The busie-body is but a Pedlar to carry up and down, and 
vend the Devil's wares." 

"Fair Dove-Coats have most pigeons ; Lost Estates have no 
Friends." 

"A well led life is the best monument." 

13 



Hugh Peters recognized what perhaps some of us have not, 
that he was a man before he became a minister and when he became 
a minister he did not expatriate himself. He beHeved that his 
duties were not entirely confined to his pulpit ministrations. 

He was a public spirited man. He was greatly interested in 
the welfare of New England, and at the close of his earthly life he 
expressed regret that he had not remained in this country which he 
called his "-home." 

During his pastorate in the First church of Salem, he became 
interested in reforming the police system ; encouraged commerce ; 
advised the planting of hemp ; worked in the interest of fishermen 
and was the means of establishing a store in which the necessaries 
for fishing might be bought for reasonable prices. He had a hand 
in trying to remedy many wrongs, such as oppression in wages, 
excessive prices for commodities, smith work and teaming. 

Hugh Peters took an interest in the cause of education, and he 
was one of the founders of Harvard college. 

It would be impossible to estimate the value and extent of the 
services which he rendered New England. John Winthrop calls 
him "a man of very public spirit and singular activity for all 
occasions," and he adds that he "went from place to place labor- 
ing both publicly and privately to raise up men to a better frame 
of spirit." 

Hugh Peters was sent in 1641 by the Massachusetts Colony to 
England to plead for a decrease of taxes, and through his efforts 
New England was relieved from all duties on exports and imports 
to and from the mother country, which were for the home con- 
sumption of the colonists. 

Soon after Hugh Peters arrived in England he identified him- 
self with the Parliamentary cause, which he firmly believed to be 
right, and served it faithfully as chaplain, officer, and war cor- 
respondent. He not only preached to the soldiers of Cromwell's 
army, but also visited the sick and wounded and ministered to them 
like a brother. After the death of Oliver Cromwell, Hugh Peters 
did not take an active part in public affairs. This was doubtless 
due to the fact that he was greatly broken in health and spirit. 

After the overthrow of Richard Cromwell and the restoration 
of Charles the Second to the throne of England, Hugh Peters was 
ordered by the Council of State to be apprehended. 

13 



Hundreds of pamphlets, ballads and cartoons appeared against 
him. He was arrested and committed to the Tower. After his 
unfair and unjust trial for high treason ; after his conviction with- 
out even being allowed counsel, and by a jury that was prejudiced 
against him, having one member who was the star witness for the 
prosecution, and who swore away his life, this minister on October 
i6th, 1660, was taken from the Tower to Charing Cross, where, 
after being compelled to witness the death of John Coke who was 
hanged by the neck and then cut down alive ; whose bowels were 
taken out and burned ; whose head was severed from his body ; 
whose body was cut into four parts for permanent exhibition in as 
manv places ; and whose head was set upon a pole at the North 
end of Westminster Hall — after being compelled to witness such a 
ghastly sight, Hugh Peters was executed in the same barbarous 
manner and his head exhibited to the curious on London Bridge. 

A man, tall and thin, active and sprightly, with high forehead 
and jDenetrating eyes which were well apart from each other, in- 
dicating honesty and strength of character ; ready and original in 
speech ; simple in his manner of living ; broad-minded and catholic 
in spirit ; loyal to his friends and magnanimous towards his enemies ; 
generous with his gifts; thoughtful of others; interested in the 
highest welfare of his fellowmen ; always a gentlemen ; a man 
whose character was abo\'e reproach ; whose life was ever devoted 
to noble ends, and whose triumphant and glorious death witnessed 
to his unswerving confidence in Jesus Christ to Whom, with a 
smiling countenance, as he was about to yield to the stroke of death, 
he prayed,-"! come to thee upon the wings of faith. Lord Jesus 
receive me with grace into the joy of my Lord. Amen." Such, in 
brief, was the man who preached the first sermon that was ever 
delivered in Wenham. 

But our interest to-day centers not only in a distinguished 
preacher but also in preaching : not only in a great minister, but 
also in a great message. 

We meet on this occasion to congratulate ourselves that since 
the day Hugh Peters, standing upon a little hill, within sight of 
yonder beautiful lake, spoke the words of life to earnest listeners, 
until this very day the Gospel has been preached within the bounds 
of tliis township. 

It is a matter of congratulation also that the pastors of this old 

H 



and historic church, from Rev. John Fiske, its first minister, to 
Rev. Dr. Morris H. Turk, my immediate predecessor, were for 
the most part, men of learning and piety. 

John Fiske, a graduate of Immanual College, Cambridge, 
England ; Joseph Gerrish, Robert Ward and John Warren, grad- 
uates of Harvard College : Adoniram Judson, a graduate of Brown ; 
Rufus Anderson, a graduate of Dartmouth ; Daniel Mansfield, a 
graduate of Amherst ; John Smith Sewall, a graduate of Bangor 
Theological Seminary; Will Converse Wood, a graduate of Har- 
vard and Andovel- and Morris H. Turk, a college graduate, an 
alumnus of the Theological Department of Boston University and 
also of its school of All Sciences :-these are the names of some of 
the pastors of this church, and the value of their services to this 
town and to the world is known only to God. 

It was one of these scholarly and public-spirited men, 
(Jeremiah Taylor) who caused to be planted on both sides of our 
Main Street those beautiful trees which are so greatly admired and 
wdiich add so much to the attractiveness of our village as well as 
comfort to beast and man. But it is also a matter of congratulation 
that the pastors of the other church located within the bounds of 
Wenham from the Reverend Charles Miller, its first minister, to 
the Reverend Frank Parker, its present incumbent, have been and 
are men of sterling worth, high ideals, unselfish motives, and faith- 
ful preachers of the Gospel. 

All honor to that splendid company of men to whom I have 
just referred, and who have done not a little to make Wenham a 
desirable and a respectable place in which to live ; who have done 
much to make it easy for people to do i-ight and difficult to do 
wrong; and without whom and the Gospel which they proclaimed, 
Wenham would only be fit for the devil's cast-aways. 

What has the preaching of the Gospel meant to this town since 
Hugh Peters came to tell its people the story of the Cross? Has it 
meant nothing to the people of Wenham that the pastors of these 
two local churches were men of liberal education, bi'oad culture 
and deep piety ? 

Was it nothing to this community that the first minister of this 
church was not only a faithful preacher of the Gospel, but also a 
teacher of great learning and recognized ability and a skillful 
physician? 

15 



Physicians in those days were not as numerous as they are 
now. How much John Fiske did for the sick in this parish we do 
not know. But we ha^•e every reason to believe that he gladly re- 
sponded to every call for medical aid. 

What a valuable member of this community that man must 
have been ! Fortunate were the people in those days to have had 
in their midst such a minister- a man of such varied accomplish- 
ments- a man who could preach, teach and practise medicine ! 

If there is general agreement among us today that the minister 
two hundred and fift}' years ago was a needed and useful member 
of society, what shall we say about the community's need of the 
minister now? 

Are preachers and preaching still essential to the highest 
welfare of mankind? 

Have we arrived at that point in the progress of the race 
where the preaching of the Gospel can be dispensed with ? Has 
the work of the minister been supplanted by the public press, by 
general education, by modern systems of ethics and philosophy, 
and by a so-called science which is neither scientific nor christian? 

Has the Gospel outlived its usefulness ? 

That man-made creeds, over which our fathers so often 
quarrelled ; that dogmas to which men clung with great tenacity ; 
that irrational and unscriptural beliefs which were once held by 
sincere but misguided men ; that false conceptions of God, of His 
relation to us and His plan for the human race, have become ob- 
solete and out of date, I readily admit. But the Gospel — ^the good 
news which Jesus, more than nineteen hundred years ago, brought 
to earth, that God is with men and that His kingdom is at hand — 
is such a Gospel no longer needed ? 

Ask that aged man of great wealth whose only interests now 
are found within the walls of his sick-chamber ! 

Ask that mother whose wayward and wicked son has plucked 
from her countenance every beautiful rose of happiness, and has 
broken her heart ! 

Ask that poor widow who has been left with a family of little 
children to support and whose life is one of drudgery and care ! 

Ask that man, over whom an avalanch of trouble and sorrow 
has rolled ; whose property has been swept away like the dew^ 
before the sun ; and who feels that the very light of his life has gone 

i6 



out and that iiever again will he behold the sunshine of God's love 
and favor ! Ask those who feel the burdening sense of guilt ! 

Ask the honest doubter ! Ask vourself ! And then tell me if 
you conscientiously can, that the Gospel is antiquated, obsolete and 
out of date. 

I most devoutly believe that the Gospel, which was preached 
by the Apostles, is not only needed in these days, but also, that it 
is "the only good news worth the telling." 

Dr. Jefferson has recently pointed out in an article published 
by "The Congregationalist" that bad news nowadays are indust- 
riously spread abi-oad. 

"Murders, embezzlements, defalcations, divorce suits, scandals 
and railroad wrecks - all this is spread abroad by men organized for 
the purpose and who do their work with the fervor of prophets and 
the industry of apostles." 

Surely to-day there are enough people who are eniployetl in 
publishing bad news. 

Those who are engaged in publishing the good news are none 
too many. If now the preaching of the Gospel, the publishing of 
good news that -God is in this w'orld, and that His kingdom is at 
hand, is an essential factor in the life and welfare of the communit}-, 
then I submit that its inhabitants should support it more univer- 
sally and more generously than they usually do. If we are in an) 
sense indebted to Hugh Peters and to other men who preached 
the Gospel within the bounds of this township, let it not be for- 
gotten that the people of to-day have some obligations to the men in 
this age who are learned, eloquent and faithful preachei's of the 
Word of God. We need not apologize to-day for those splendid 
men who preached the Gospel in Wenham in days gone by. 

And neither is there anv occassion for apologizing for the 
ministers, as a whole, who are todav the very salt of the earth and 
the light of the world. 

Never since the days of the Apostles were the ministers of 
Christ more learned, scholarly and catholic ; more loyal to their 
Master ; more consecrated to their Avork and more self-sacrificing 
than now. 

With all of my acquaintance with Christian ministers, in more 
than one denomination, during the past foi'ty years, I have never 



known of one who refused to respond to any reasonable call for 
help and service. 

Let the unthinking and ungodly man slander the good name of 
ihe minister, and the great-hearted, generous and forgiving minister 
will be the very first to help his enemy when misfortune and 
sorrow overtake him. 

Today ministers preach the Gospel, not only when they stand 
behind the sacred desk on the holy Sabbath, but also when they 
\ isit the sick, pray with the dying, bury the dead and comfort the 
mourning. 

The duties of the modern minister are not a few^ ; his problems 
are often perplexing ; his hours of labor are long; his work is 
hard ; the demands upon his time are many ; and his strength of 
body, mind and soul is taxed to the very utmost. 

" 'Tis not a cause of small import. 

The pastor's care demands. 
But what might fill an angel's head 

And filled a Savior's hands." 

Whv do I speak thus of the Christian pastors today? Because 
our young men, in so few numbers are entering the ministi'y, and 
because there will be no preaching of the Gospel when there are 
no preachers. 

Sad will be the day when the doors of the churches are closed : 
w hen there are no ministers in the communities ; and w lien the 
Gospel is not preached. 

Any nian \vho helps to close the doors of the christian church, 
who hinders the preaching of the Gospel, and who, in any way, 
prevents the christian minister from spreading abroad the good 
news of help in God and salvation in Jesus, is a very undesirable 
citizen and an enemy to the progress and welfare of the community. 

I pleatl then today for the modern minister :- not for mone} 
but for mercy ; not for compliments but for compassion ; not for 
c(jmforts but for charity. 

I plead to-day for the modern minister ;- not that vou should 
lia\e a deeper sense of appreciation of his value and worth in the 
community, but that you may make it possible for him to preach 
the Gospel, to tell the good news with his lips, hands, feet and life, 

iS 



and to hand down to your children and to mine and to comin" 
generations a legacy of priceless value,- a knowledge of the love of 
God, unswer\ing faith in His eternal justice and goodness, and the 
glad tidings of the Lordship and companionship of Jesus who is, 
and always will be, the Gospel, the good news. 

"O that the world would taste and see 

The riches of His grace ! 
The arms of love that compass me 

Would all mankind embrace. 

His only righteousness I show. 

His saving truth proclaim : 
'Tis all my business here below. 

To cry, "Behold the Lamb !" 

Happy, if with my latest breath 

1 may but gasp His name ; 
Preach Him to all, and cry in death, 

"Behold, behold the Lamb I" 



DEDICATION 

OF THE 

PETERS' HILL MEMORL\L 

AT 

WENHAM LAKE 



Sunday, October 25, 1908, was an eventful clay in the quiet 
town of Wenham, and the memory of it will long linger in the minds 
of both citizens and visitors who were present at the dedicatory ser- 
vices at Wenham Lake, and in the Congregational Church. The 
weather conditions at the time were very favorable, it being one of 
those calm, c|uict days which occasionally occur in the late autumn, 
with the sky slightly overcast, and a soft, balmy air; an ideal day 
for an out-of-doors gathering. 

By the courtes}- of the Boston and Northern iStreet Railway 
Company, free transportation from the village by special cars, was 
furnished for all who desired to attend the exercises at the Lake, 
and at the appointed hour quite a large company had gathered to 
witness and to participate in the exercises of the day. 

From i63Sto 190S seemed but a step, at least to some of the 
throng, as by the quiet lake side the voice of prayer and praise as- 
cended as it did when the Reverend LIugh Peters first preached the 
(jospel to the early settlers. 

At a few minutes past two o'clock, Mr. Arthur D. Prince, 

20 



secretary of the Memorial Committee, called the assembly to order, 
and invited all present to join in singing the National hymn : 

My Country, 'tis of thee 

Sweet land of libert}' 
Of thee I sing. 
At the conclusion of the singing, the divine blessing upon the 
exercises of the day \vas invoked by Rev. Abner D. Gorham, who 
has spent the greater part of his life in this place, and who was for 
twenty-nine years, (1S63-1S92,) pastor of the Baptist church at 
Wenham Neck. 

Following the invocation, the responsi\e reading of the 
scriptures, as printed in the Order of Service, was conducted by 
Rev. Edwin A. Blake, Ph. D., pastor of the People's Union Church 
in South Hamilton, the congregation joining heartily in the exercise. 

Extracts from the following report of the Memorial Committee 
were next read by Mr. Wellington Pool, Chairman of the Com- 
mittee. 

Report of the Memorial Committee. 

We have met here to-day to dedicate a Memorial Bowlder and 
Tablet, commemorating the first preaching of the gospel in Wen- 
ham, about two hundred and seventy years ago, by the Reverend 
Hugh Peters, then pastor of the church in .Salem. 

In that early period, the feet of Hugh Peters, the eloquent 
preacher of St. Sepulchre's in London, pressed the ground whereon 
we now stand, and, choosing for his pulpit a small conical hill 
which sloped to the margin of the lake, he preached from John III : 
2^, "In Enon, near to Salim, because there was much water 
there." By that service, Hugh Peters in an especial manner con- 
secrated this spot to the worship of Almighty God ; and we to-day in 
dedicating this memorial re-consecrate it anew to the same high 
purpose. (See Appendix, Note A.) 

Passing now over nearly two centuries, we find that in the year 
1831^, the question of erecting some memorial of that event in the 
early history of the town was being considered by the inhabitants, 
for, at the annual town meeting in that year, it was "Voted ;-to 
relinquish the privilege the town has in Peters' Hill to the First 
•Parish in Salem, for the purpose of erecting a monument to the 

21 



memory of their distinguished divine, Hugh Peters, on condition 
that the said First Parish in Salem build, or cause to be built, or 
erected, a monument on the said Peters' Hill within three years 
from this day, March 3, 183^, otherwise, the said First Parish have 
no privilege to build on said hill." 

By some means, the First Parish in Salem failed to avail itself 
of the privilege thus freely granted, and the next mention of Peters' 
Hill on the town recoixls is in 1S43, when Mr. Charles B. Lander 
of Danvers, having recently erected buildings for the storage of ice 
on land near by, was granted sufficient land adjacent to Peters' Hill 
for the construction of a railroad to connect his buildings with the 
main line of the Eastern Railroad. These buildings at first en- 
croached but very little upon Peters' Hill, which was situated 
between them and the main highway. (See Appendix, Note B.) The 
first crop of ice was gathered during the winter of 1843-44. With 
the increase of the ice business, more land was required, and steps 
were soon taken by the Ice Company to secure Peters' Hill. The 
subject was brought up at the annual town meeting in March, 18^4, 
when it was voted, not to sell Peters' Hill, twenty-two voting in the 
affirmative, and forty-two in the negative ; but at an adjournment 
of this meeting held April i, 1S44, the vote not to sell the property 
was reconsidered, and it was then voted to sell the same, thirty-four 
in the affirmative, and twenty nine in the negative. Thus it will be 
seen, that, although there was considerable opposition to the sale, 
the utilitarian spirit finally prevailed, and Peters' Hill metaphor- 
ically speaking, was delivered into the hands of the Philistines. 

In an article entitled, "Wenham Lake and the Ice Trade," by 
Rev. Alfred P. Putnam, D. D., of Dan\ers, published in a mag- 
azine called "Ice and Refrigeration," July, 1892, Dr. Putnam 
refers in a very interesting manner to the story of Peters' Hill, or 
•'Peters' Pulpit" as it was frequently called. Altera brief reference 
to the beginning of the ice business at this place, he continues as 
follows : 

"On the northeastern margin of Wenham Lake once stood a 
small, grassy, conical hill which for more than two centuries has 
been regarded as an object of peculiar, sacred interest, for it was 
upon the summit of that little eminence, whence one could look 
down into pellucid depths below, and immediately around ujion a 

22 



diversified and most enchanting scene of nature, that the celebrated 
Hugh Peters preached a famous sermon from the text, "In Enon, 
near to Salim, because there was much water there." John 3 : 23. 
The Wenham settlement was then called Enon ; it was but a few- 
miles from Salem itself, and it certainly had a bountiful supply of 
water." (See Appendix, Note C.) "A multitude came from all the 
surrounding region to hear the great preacher, then associated with 
Roger Williams in the pastorate of the church in Salem, as he 
eloquently proclaimed the word of God there under the open skv, 
and from that pulpit 'not made with hands.' Through years and 
generations numberless pilgrims had found their way thither and 
there tried to recall the picture as it presented itself in that early 
period ; at the same time they remembered the sad fate of the 
central object of interest as he returned to England, and for his 
conspicuous alliance with Cromwell and the Puritans was publicly 
executed in a most barbarous manner at Charing Cross in London 
in 1660, after the restoration of Charles II. The spot should have 
been held as consecrated ground forevermore, and a monument 
erected upon it to the memory of the man whose presence and word 
had so hallowed it, and by \\'hose martyrdom had made it more 
holy still." 

Referring to the sale of Peters' Hill, Dr. Putnam says: "there 
was some opposition to the sale, and about forty years ago, the late 
Edmund Kimball, Esq. of Wenham, told him how that he (Esquire 
Kimball) had then appeared before his assembled fellow citizens 
and pleaded v\dth- them with tears in his eyes, that they would 
spurn the paltry sum which had been offered as the price, and 
keep inviolate the consecrated mound." But it v.'as all in vain. 
It was voted to sell it, and the deed conveying the property to 
Mr. Lander was dated April 11, 1S44. 

Dr. Putnam further states that during a recent conversation 
with the venerable George Wheatland, Esq., President of the Essex 
Institute at Salem, and formerly a member of the Ice Company, 
"Mr. Wheatland recalled with regret that he himself had ordered 
and superintended the work of demolition. And 'Enon, near to 
Salim' now regrets quite as much that she ever gave her consent. 
But she has since done the best she could under the circumstances, 
by adopting a town seal with the figure of a hillock in the centre, 

23 



beyond which is a view of the water and of the high banks opposite, 
forming a very neat and appropriate design." 

As previously stated, several ice-houses had already been built 
on land adjoining Peters' Hill. The Ice Company had also pur- 
chased the old meeting-house of the Congregational Church, and 
removed it to the lake where it was placed by the side of the other 
buildings, and close to the westerly side of the hill. (See Appendix, 
Note D.) Soon after the hill had passed into the possession of the 
Ice Company, it was completelv leveled, and other ice-houses were 
erected on the spot covering nearly its entire site, the old meeting 
house being the fifth in a series of ten large buildings. (See Appen- 
dix, Note E.) The ice-cutting business was carried on here ever}- 
w'inter until on Sunday evening, Nov. 9, 1S73, the entire plant was 
totall}' destroyed by the most spectacular fire which has ever occur- 
red in Wenham. For a few years after the destruction of these 
buildings the Company continued its work here, stacking the ice in 
temporary buildings, but the business was finally all removed to 
other places. It now seems a great pity that, after the discontin- 
uance of the ice business at this place, the town neglected to regain 
possession of this historic spot, and convert it into a park to be kept 
and maintained fore\er as a public reservation for the use and benefit 
of all the inhabitants, and there are those to-day who still entertain 
hopes that this may yet be accomplished. 

The subject of erecting some memorial commemorating the 
first preaching of the gospel in Wenham has frequently been talked 
of in an informal manner by individuals interested in antiquarian 
matters, but the first movement to bring the subject before the town 
for consideration was made by Mr. Benjamin H. Conant in 1902. 
Mr. Conant, having occasion to appear before the Finance and 
Advisory Committee of the town in the interest of the public library, 
at that time expressed a desire that something might be done to 
mark the site of Peters' Hill during the lifetime of those then living 
who had personal recollections concerning its location and general 
appearance. He also, at the same time suggested that the ancient 
mile-stone in front of the cem3tery ought to have so me protection 
from possible injury from passing vehicles. (See Appendix, Note 
F.) Both of these suggestions received favorable consideration bv 
the Finance and Advisory Committee, and an article embodying 

24 



them was inserted in the warrant for the annual town meeting of 
that year, (1902.) Under this article it was rVoted "ist, to instruct 
the Selectmen to protect the Old Mile-Stone in front of the ceme- 
tery by removal of the same to the cemetery wall, or, by placing 
a suitable curb on either side, and that the expense be charged 
to the town incidentals." 

"2nd, Voted that the subject of marking the site of Peters' 
Hill be referred to Benjamin H. Conant and Wellington Pool, and 
that they be requested to confer with the officers of the Ladies' 
Village Improvement Society, and report at the next town meeting 
whether the site of Peters' Hill should be marked, and if so, how, 
and by whom, and, if by the town, at what estimated expense." 

The first part of the above vote was carried into effect during 
the summer of 1902, while the cemetery wall was being relaid. 

At the amuial town meeting in 1903, Mr. Wellington Pool 
made a verbal report for the committee appointed the previous year 
to confer with the officers of the Village Improvement Society in 
relation to the Peters' Hill memorial, in which he stated that after 
several conferences with them, it was for good and sufficient 
reasons deemed best that the entire expense and management of 
erecting the memorial should be assumed by the town. In regard 
to the particular form or style of the memorial to be erected, it was 
the opinion of the committee that a bronze tablet, suitably inscribed 
and placed upon a large bowlder would be a very appropriate 
manner of marking this spot. 

It was further reported that a bowlder of suitable size and 
shape for this purpose was situated upon an outcropping ledge 
within a short distance, upon land belonging to Dr. John C. 
Phillips, who is also the present owner of the site of Peters' Hill. 
Mr. Pool had had some correspondence with Dr. Phillips upon the 
subject with the result that liberty was freely granted to take this 
bowlder for the purpose indicated, and to remove it to the site of 
Peters' Hill, provided it could be moved without material damage 
to the land of said Phillips. 

The report of the committee was accepted, and on recommend- 
ation of the Finance and Advisory Committee it was voted : "ist. 
That the sum of two hundred dollars be raised and appropriated 
for the removal of a bowlder on land of John C. Phillips to the site 

25 



of Peters' Hill, so called, and for the suitable grading of said site, 
and marking said bowlder in honor of Rev. Hugh Peters, who 
preached .the first sermon in this town on that site." 

"2nd, Voted; That the Board of Selectmen and citizens 
Wellington Pool and Benjamin H. Conant be a special committee 
to carry out this purpose." 

Mr. George E. Norris was subsequently added to this com- 
mittee. 

During the next few years but little was accomplished except 
in a general way by interviews with the older citizens of the town, 
and by examinations of the ground in order to locate the boundaries 
of the hill as nearly as possible. In June, 1905, Prof. 'John H. 
Sears of the Peabody Academy of Science in Salem, made a 
critical examination of the bowlder, a report of which he later em- 
bodied in the following communication. 

Peters' Hill Memorial. 

The proposed Bowlder to mark the spot where Hugh Peters 
delivered the first sermon in the town of Wenham, Massachusetts. 

This bowlder is a glacial erratic, that was removed from the 
original ledge of which it was a part, probably in West Andover, 
Massachusetts, or Pelham, New Hampshire, as there is no similar 
rock nearer than these places in the line of glaciation, w^hich is 
everywhere in the region apparent by the scratched and striated 
surfaces of ledges. These scratches are invariably from the North- 
west to the Southeast, and consequently, in this Northwest course 
the only ledges of this rock are in the places above named. The 
bowlder was without doubt imbedded in the bottom of the glacial 
Ice Cap which covered New England during the Glacial Period, 
and which was at least one thousand feet thick over Essex County. 
This bowlder probably produced some of the scratches and rounded 
si^rfaces of outcropping ledges, thus giving us a guide to trace its 
course from the parent ledge to its present resting place on the 
shore of Wenham Lake. This bowlder is well worthy of being 
preserxed as a geological specimen, a relic of the work of the great 
Ice Age, its well rounded surfaces which show deep scratches, 
fine striae, and even polished areas due to its being moved overand 
across the bed-rock in its passage, is a marvel that has been pre- 
served for our inspection and study, and that future generations 

26 



ma}' see such a remarkiible specimen. 

There have been numbers of similar bowlders known to the 
writer in various parts of our county, that have been destroyed by 
being broken up to form material for stone walls, and thus lost for 
future study. 

The rock, by measurements taken, shows that it contains 
approximately one hundred and ten cubic feet, and as this form of 
rock is known to have twelve cubic feet in a ton, the weight of it 
would exceed nine tons. 

The composition of the bowlder is much quartz and feldspar, 
with horneblende and muscovite mica as essential minerals, also 
accessory minerals, garnet, biotite, magnetite and limonite, this 
last mineral giving the rock its reddish or pink color. The minerals 
are arranged in bands or layers, giving the bowlder a distinctly 
gneissic character. Thus the rock is what is popularly known as 
a foliated muscovite biotite granite. 

June 17, 1905. Signed: J, li. Sears. 

Towards the latter part of February, 190S, the bowlder was 
successfully removed from its original position to land belonging to 
the town near the exact site of Peters' Hill, and during the summer 
following a massive foundation of stone and cement some six feet 
in depth was constructed, upon which the bowlder was placed. A 
considerable quantity of material for properly grading the surround- 
ing land was furnished gratuitously by the Street Railway Co., 
which was at that time engaged in relaying its track through the 
town. 

The bowlder, having been duly placed in position, the com- 
mittee next considered the preparation of an appropriate inscription 
for the tablet. The task of compressing the desired subject matter 
into the most concise form was found to be somewhat perplexing, 
and although several forms of inscriptions were submitted by 
members of the committee, no one of them appeared to be wholly 
satisfactory. The inscription finally accepted was wTitten by 
Mrs. Walter S. Eaton, to which was subsequently added a sentence 
by Mr. Conant, and in this amended form was adopted by the 
unanimous vote of the committee. The inscription as amended 

reads as follows :- 

. 27 



"This Stone marks the site of Peters' Hill on which, about 
the year 1638, Reverend Hugh Peters, Pastor of the church in 
Salem, Preached the First Sermon in Wenham. Text from John 
in : 23, 'In Enon, near to Salim, because there was much water 
there'." 

"Thus early in the History of the Town w^as the Gospel 

proclaimed." 

Erected by the Town, 1908. 

The duty of procuring the tablet and of having it placed upon 
the bowlder was assigned by the committee to Mr. Pool, who, after 
making due investigations, awarded the contract for making the 
casting to the Albert Russell and Sons Co. of Newburyport, Mass. 

The completed tablet of bronze, twenty four by thirty eight 
inches in size, was received by the committee September 23, and a 
few days later was placed upon the bowlder. 

The memorial being now completed, arrangements for the 
dedicatory exercises were next in order. By the unanimous vote 
of the committee. Rev. Walter S. Eaton, Ph. D., pastor of the 
Congregational Church in Wenham, was invited to deliver the 
sermon on that occasion. It was also voted to invite the pastor of 
the First Church in -Salem, as the successor of Hugh Peters, to take 
some part in the exercises. Messrs. Pool and Prince were appointed 
a sub-committee to consult with Dr. Eaton and arrange the 
further details of the programme. 

Although the Peters' Hill memorial was designed and erected 
under the direct auspices of the town, it was, on account of its 
distinctly religious character, deemed eminently fitting that the 
dedicatory exercises should be held upon the sabbath. We are, 
therefore, on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, here assembled to 
consecrate and dedicate this memorial bowlder and tablet in com- 
memoration of the fact that in the earliest history of our town, the 
everlasting gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was freely 
proclaimed to all the inhabitants thereof. 

Wellington Pool. ) ^ , „ 

T, . • TT r^ *. 1 r or the Committee. 

Benjamin H. Conant. ) 

Unveiling of the Tablet. 

The next feature on the programme was the unveiling of the 

28 



tablet which until this time hud been concealed beneath a large Am- 
erican flag which covered the entire bowlder. Miss Blanche Stanton, 
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred P. Stanton, now stepped forward 
and released the fastenings, when, as if by its own volition, the flag 
arose and floated majestically over the scene, while a sigh of satis- 
faction went up from the waiting audience which had stood so 
reverently during the service, and many pressed forward to examine 
the tablet which until this time had been hidden from view. 

The exercises at the lake being now concluded, special cars 
were in readiness to convey the people to the Congregational Church, 
where the remaining services were to be held. 

The exercises at the church began with an Organ Prelude, 
Mr. Benjamin H. Conant, who for forty-five years has served as 
organist of the church, presiding. 

The singing of the hymns by the congregation led liy a large 
volunteer choir, and accompanied by the full organ was extremely 
inspiring. Rev. Peter H. Goldsmith, D. D., pastor of the First 
Church in Salem read selections from the scriptures in voice and 
manner befitting the occasion, and the prayer by Rev. Frank 
Parker, pastor of the Baptist Church at Wenham Neck, carried the 
worshippers to a higher plane as he \oiced the thanks of the people 
for mercies past and petitions for the future welfare of Wenham. 

Following the prayer, Miss Mary E. Qjiinby of Wenham, 
sang in a very acceptable manner "The Good Shepherd," a fine 
musical setting of the twenty -third Psalm. 

The sermon by Rev. Dr. Eaton, (printed in full elsewhere in 
this pamphlet,) received the close attention of the congregation 
throughout its delivery. 

After the singing of thedoxology by the choir and congregation, 
the benediction was pronounced by Rev. Abner D. Gorham. 

The entire ser\ice was ably presided over by Mr. Arthur 
D. Prince, Secretary of the Memorial Committee. 

A large congregation including many friends from neighboring 
towns, was present at the service, at the close of which the com- 
mittee received many congratulations upon the success of the 
undertaking. 

29 



Ice Houses at Wenham Lake, 
On and adjacent to the site of Peters' Hill. 



The Ice business was begun at this place in 1S43 by Mr. 
Charles B. Lander of Danvers. After the first year or two, several 
other gentlemen liecame associated with Mr. Lander, and carried 
on the business under various titles until about iS^^o, when it was 
sold to Messrs. Gage, Hittenger tS: Co., of Boston. In 18^9 the 
firm name was changed to Addison Gage & Co., under which title 
the business was continued until its removal from \Venham about 
iSSo. This companv carried on a large business, gathering its ice 
from several other localities as well as from Wenham Lake. It is 
said that from 1S60 to 1880 it harvested from Wenham Lake alone 
an annual avera":e of thirty thousand tons. 



■^ 



k /! 4 J /f 







When the business was first begun, the ice w as convcvetl on 
sleds from w here it was cut to the houses, and then hoisted into the 
buildings by horse power. A few years later, long inclines of very 
gradual ascent were constructed from the water to the buildings, up 
which the ice was drawn by horses, a large number being thus 
employed. About 1866, steam power was introduced, and exten- 
sive repairs were made on the buildings, some of them being 



eiilargcil and practicalK relmilt. In the picture the bLiildin^s arc 
shown as thev were at this time, the steam elevator bein;^ at the 
extreme left. 

For manN' Ncars tlie works at this place \\ ere under the charge 
of Mr. fohn I. I)ur<iin. who had at times as main as three hundred 
men in his emplo\ . 

After the burniuL;- of the Imildinj^s in 18^3. the business was 
continued somewhat less vigorously for several years, the ice beint^ 
stored in temporarv stacks. About iSSo the Gaye Company 
discontinued its plant at this place. The ice cutting- business, 
however, is still carrietl on b\ several other comj^anies at other 
parts of the lake. 



APPENDIX, 



Note A. 

The exact date of the first sermon in Wenhani has never been 
fully determined, except that it must have been between 1636 and 
1 64 1, while Hugh Peters was pastor of the Salem church. 

In regard to the early settlement of Wenham, Felt, in his 
"Annals of Salem" states that "there are no sufficient data to show 
precisely when this place began to be inhabited." There is a tradit- 
ion, however, that the first settlers were Austin Killam, Richard 
Goldsmith, and one of the Fisk brothers, and that they came about 
the year 1635. During the next few years grants of land in this 
vicinity were quite numerous, and the population had increased to 
such an extent that in 1643 it was incorporated as a separate town. 

Note B. 
In relation to the site of Peters' Hill, the general consensus of 
opinion among those of the older citizens who have recollections 
concerning the locality, is that it occupied the ground immediately 
in the rear of the memorial stone, covering approximately one third 
of an acre, upon which, after its demolition, the first four ice-houses 
as shown in the picture, were erected, the eastern wall of the 
nearest building being but a few feet distant from the stone ; that 
the hillside next to the water was quite steep, and that the height 

33 



was such that a persoti standing on the summit could view the 
landscape o\ er the ridgepole of the buildings previously erected on 
the western side. 

Note C 

It has been generally believed that this place received the name 
"Enon" previous to the sermon by Peters, though no documentary 
evidence in proof of this has been discovered. 

Rev. Will C. Wood, a former pastor of the Wenham Con- 
gregational Church, in a sermon on Hugh Peters delivered in 1873, 
raised the cpiestion whether the name Enon, as applied to this place, 
"did not have its origin in the fruitful and original mind of Peters," 
"Peters" he says "was not a mind to follow another. There would 
have been far less originality in taking his text if some one before 
him had already named the place from its waters and its proximity 
to Salem. He certainly seems to have taken the text originally, 
and therefore we may fairly conclude he was original in its 
application. Having then no previous record, we cannot but think 
that Enon was suggested by Peters himself. 

The fact that the earliest mention of the name on the Salem 
Town Records is in 16^2, more than a year after Peters had 
returned to England, and that all previous grants of land in this 
vicinity were described as being at or near the great pond, would 
seem to give some degree of plausibility to this view. 

Note D. 

The present meeting house of the Congregational Church was 
built in 1S43, and dedicated December 20, of that year, Rev. 
Daniel Mansfield, the pastor, preaching the sermon on that 
occasion. This sermon was afterwards printed. Mr. Mansfield 
also published two very valuable historical sermons which he 
delivered in October, 1844, on the two hundredth anniversary of 
the organization of the church. 

The old meeting house in which the people of Wenham had 
worshipped for almost a century, stood a short distance south of 
the present edifice, on the eastern end of what is now known as 
"The Park." The last service in the old building was held October 
15, 1S43. The farewell sermon, which unfortunately has not been 
preser^■cd, was preached by Mr. Mansfield, and the following hymn, 

34 



presumably written for the occasion by some unknown author, 
was sung. 

"Arise ye people of the Lord, 
Arise, for this is not your rest, 
Depart, obey your Master's word. 
And seek the mansions of the blest. 

This house of prayer so early reared 
By those who bowed and worshipped God, 
To them and us has been endeared 
As oft its sacred courts we've trod. 

Here holy men have preached and prayed. 
Here rich instruction hath been given. 
Here sovereign grace hath been displayed, 
And precious souls been trained for heaven. 

Here oft has age with snowy hair 
And strength and beauty urged their plea, 
Here children too, have raised their prayer, 
Their thanks and praises. Lord, to Thee. 

But now the last sad hour has come. 

And we no longer here may dwell. 

These walls, these seats, this hallowed dome. 

We bid them all Farewell, Farewell." 

A few weeks later, in November of that year, the old building, 
having been sold to the Ice Company, was removed to the lake to 
be used thenceforth as an ice house. 

Note E. 
On the building nearest the highway there was a belfry con- 
taining a bell which was rung to indicate the hours for beginning 
and leaving off work. After a few years its use was discontinued, 
and the bell removed. It was still there, however, in 1847, when 
it was tolled for the funeral of Rev. Daniel Mansfield, who died 
April 8th and was buried April 12th of that year. Mr. Mansfield 
was highly esteemed not only by his own church and town, but by 
all the churches and clergy in the vicinity, as was evinced by the 
large number present at the funeral service, filling the church to its 
full capacity. The sermon on this occasion was by Rev. Brown 

35 



Emerson, D. D., of Salem, from the text. Rev. 14: 13. At the 
conclusion of the service the people passed in front of the pulpit, 
and took a last look at the face of their beloved pastor whose voice 
of instruction, admonition and prayer they would hear no more. 

Six clergymen acted as pall-bearers, and as the long procession, 
escorted by a large number of the young men of the village wearing 
crape on their left arms, slowly wended its way to the old burying 
ground, the bell at the lake, on the site of Peters' Hill mingled 
its tones with those which mournfully tolled from the church tower 
in the village, while the sacred remains were reverently laid to rest 
on the hill-side, overlooking the same beautiful landscape which 
Hugh Peters had viewed so many years before. 

Note F. 

There are three of these ancient mile-stones on the main high- 
way between the Beverly and Hamilton lines, each of them bearing 
the same date, 17 10. These stones have attracted much attention 
from strangers passing through the town, especially the one near 
the entrance to the old burying ground, on which, in addition to 
the usual distance directions, is inscribed in the quaint orthography 
of the olden time, a verse of scripture appropriate to its situation. 
Job 30 : 33., "I know thou wilt bring me to death and to the house 
appointed for all living." 

About fortv years ago, the inscriptions, which in the course of 
time had become nearly illegible, were at the instance of a descend- 
ant of one of the early inhabitants of the town, recut, following 
carefully the original cutting, and during the present year they have 
been made still more legible by painting the letters and figures. 

By what authority these stones were placed here we have no 
definite knowledge, and this note is inserted in the hope that some 
person who may chance to read it may be able to throw some light 
upon the subject. 



The illustrations in this pamphlet are from photographs by 
Benjamin H. Conant. The picture of Hugh Peters appeared in 
the New England Historical and Genealogical Register for January, 
1 85 1, and the ice houses was copied from a picture in possession of 
Mr. Horace E. Durgin. 

36 



APH 1 I'-^Q^ 




LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 



014 075 325 7] 



